


The Day After Camp

by nameless_wanderer



Series: Because Somebody Fucking Has To [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Max and David have serious discussions, as evidence by the & symbol as well as the dadvid tag, dadvid, loosely based on that one comic, several of the others are mentioned, should probably clarify that the david max is played as a father son type thing, takes place after camp campbell has ended (duh)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:56:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nameless_wanderer/pseuds/nameless_wanderer
Summary: Max's parents never came to pick him up on the last day of camp. David isn't just going to abandon him. But everything he's done to try and get closer to Max has only pushed him further away. There might not be any right solution, but how does he avoid the wrong one?





	1. Morning

David rubbed his eyes and yawned as he walked into his kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He was used to waking up at early hours that others would call "ungodly" with far too much energy, but the last few months at Camp Campbell had drained him. Not to mention the events of last night had made him unsettled; in fact, he'd hardly slept at all the previous night he was so sick with worry. He was so tired he hadn't even changed out of his pajamas yet. But that time he'd spent ruminating had led him to come up with an idea that was so crazy he had to do it.

He walked over to his cupboard, grabbed out a bowl, and began making himself a bowl of cereal. He took his breakfast over to the small table, back facing the hall to the front door. He took his first bite and suddenly remembered what real food not prepared by the Quartermaster tasted like. Absentmindedly eating his cereal, he replayed the events of yesterday in his mind.

_All of the parents were there in the town. He remembered most of them from parent day. Nerris' parents had thanked David for giving her such a welcoming outlet for her creativity. Harrison's parents still seemed afraid of him, but David did his best to assure them his magic had gotten much better, and he was more capable of returning disappeared objects. Mrs. Nurfington was surprised at how well behaved Nurf was, at least compared to before. Erid's dads asked him for any information on Cameron Campbell. Buzz Aldrin had showed up to take Space Kid home. Preston's grandmother had said some kind words, and David yelled his thanks. Dolph's father still seemed perplexed at his son's obsession with art. Nikki's mom and Neil's dad were flirting again. But one set of parents never showed up._

David was suddenly acutely aware of the silence in his home. Specifically, it sounded like the silence that accompanied one trying to avoid making noise. He took a bite of cereal before speaking.

"Good morning, Max." He didn't have to turn around to hear the kid slowly set his foot down and back away from the front door.

"Shit…"

David turned in his chair to look at Max. "Did you sleep well?" Max stared at him, an unreadable look on his face. He still had on his clothes from yesterday, and he was discreetly clutching Mr. Honey Nut with the hand that wasn't reaching out. "Why is your hand on the doorknob?"

"…I thought I'd leave before you noticed. Find a ride into town."

David chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys, flaunting them as if he'd won some game. "Your things are still in my trunk." A few seconds of silence passed between the two. David finally spoke again, "why don't you come join me?" He gestured to the chair across from him. Max seemed hesitant, but begrudgingly walked over to the table and sat down across from David. David kept munching on cereal as he looked at Max. "Why were you trying to sneak out?"

"Because I've spent the last three months with you and if I have to spend another minute with you I'm literally gonna go insane," he retorted. David looked unconvinced. Max sighed and gave a small shrug. "And I figured you'd want me gone as soon as possible. I dunno…"

"Don't want you gone yet, kiddo. We have to talk about some things. But first, breakfast. I've got some plain cereal, some sugary cereal, I could make you some toast, I could do pancakes… what's your druthers?"

"I'm-I'm not hungry."

"You sure?" Max looked away. David examined his face, and recognized the same heart-wrenching expression that he had seen last night.

_Max had just said goodbye to Nikki and Neil. David watched, secretly pleased that Max had actually made friends at Camp Campbell. But then he saw Max's face fall, and he quickly realized why: Max was the only camper left, and his parents were nowhere in sight. David thought they must be on their way. He walked over to reassure him._

_"Don't worry, Max. We'll wait for them together." Max had given him a look of doubt, but sat down with him as they looked off towards the end of the road for any sign of an incoming car. David kept a smile plastered on his face, but as the sun sank down towards the horizon, he couldn't hide the worry from his face. As dusk fell, Max drifted off to sleep, resting his head on David's shoulder._

"Max I'm really sorry about yesterday. That should never have happened, you don't deserve that. You have every right to be angry and upset. And I'm right there with you." In fact, it was only Max's presence that was keeping David from being completely livid. Max shrugged again. David sighed. "I guess we're having this conversation now." Max eyed David suspiciously.

"What conversation?"

"Max, I… I tried contacting your parents and I haven't been able to get in touch with them."

Max seemed un-phased. "That's not surprising. They tend to disappear."

"That doesn't make it right!" David took a deep breath, hoping that he hadn't raised his voice too much. Max seemed to notice a change. "I was thinking that while we tried to reach them, you could stay with me for a few days."

Max gave an incredulous stare. "What?"

"Now, I don't know how long it would be for, or exactly how this would work or anything, but I figure I have room here so you could stay for a few days, at least while we tried to get you back home." David looked at Max and saw confusion on his face. He couldn't tell if it was a good confused or a bad confused. "What do you think?"

Max stared at him for a few good seconds. "Are you really sure this is the best idea?"

David stared back at him, trying to build up confidence. "What I think and what I want is irrelevant. This is your decision to make. I'll do whatever you think is best." Something in Max's expression shifted as he said this, and though he wasn't sure why, he instantly regretted it.

"No. Stay with the man who's made my life a living hell all summer, when he clearly doesn't even give a shit about me? I'm good, thanks." Max looked away as he said these final words, and the gentle smile on David's face fell.

"Max of course I care about you." Max scoffed. Something about this sent David off. He dropped his spoon back into his cereal. "Hasn't everything I've done for you all summer been enough proof of that? Why would I work so hard at Camp Campbell if I didn't care about the kids I was trying to pass on its legacy to?" It was hard to tell, but the change in Max's expression indicated he was listening. Now that David had his attention, he continued. "I know my world view runs counter to yours, and I know that's led to some disagreements to us in the past, but for the life of me I cannot figure out why you hate me so much. I've tried my best to encourage you. I was ecstatic when you, Neil, and Nikki tried to run away because it meant you had made friends. You had refused to even talk to the other campers up until that point. I tried to support your adventures with them whenever I could. The only thing I ever wanted was for you to have fun at camp." Though the child wasn't looking at him, David could tell he had Max's full attention.

"You want to know what I think about this, what I want? I want you to stay here with me. I want you to stay as long as possible. If I had my way, there's no way in hell I would hand you back over to the parents who couldn't even be bothered to fill out an activity on their child's camp form, and who couldn't be bothered to remember the most important dates of the summer. Because I care about you. I do. I care about all of my campers. I know the connotations of saying things like this, but I love you kids. I really do. I think the world of you, of all of you. So do I want to send you back to some neglectful family? No. Fucking. Way." Max was staring at David, eyes wide in surprise. David closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sat back down from the edge of his seat. "But it doesn't matter what I want. Every attempt I've made to reach out to you, you push back twice as hard. I'm not gonna push you to do anything, I'm not your counselor anymore." David sighed. "You clearly don't want to spend another second here so we'll figure something out. I can, um…I talked to Gwen last night and she has a pull-out sofa. Or maybe you have some relatives nearby…" David shook his head, looking down at his cereal in defeat. "I don't know. Just…we'll figure something out. But you have to give me some input." David put his head in his hands. He had tried so hard to do what was best for Max, but was constantly worried he'd made some kind of mistake. Even last night.

_It was pitch black outside, and Max's parents still hadn't shown up. It was nearing eleven o'clock, and they couldn't keep waiting forever. David had to make a decision. Careful not to wake Max, he grabbed the sleeping boy and took him to the car, placing him in the passenger's seat and buckling him in. He grabbed Max's belongings and put them in the trunk of his car. Looking off into the distance one last time, he slowly turned the key to the engine, as if that would make the car start up quieter. Luckily, Max didn't wake. Nor did he wake for the entire drive back to David's house. The reality of what was happening sank in as he pulled into the driveway. He  had to tell someone about this. He stepped out of the car and dialed the number he had memorized so well over the summer._

_"David?"_

_"Hey Gwen! I'm sorry to disturb you, is now a bad time?"_

_"No, not at all. So, what were Max's parents like?"_

_"Um, I… I don't know. They never came."_

_"...Shit. Really?"_

_"Yeah, I'll call them in the morning."_

_"Shit. What are we gonna do about this?"_

_"He'll stay with me. I'll find a way."_

_"I got a pull-out couch he can stay on if needed. Shit, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Sleep tight, David."_

_"You too, Gwen." He hung up and looked back at Max, still sleeping in the car. He opened the trunk and grabbed Max's teddy bear, Mr. Honey Nuts. Then as carefully as he could, he unbuckled Max and carried him out of the car and to the front door. He unlocked the front door and as it swung open Max's voice sent chills down his spine._

_"They never came, huh?"_

David had tried so hard for Max's sake, but it never got him anywhere. Maybe he should just stop trying.

"Pancakes." Max's reply caught him off guard. David looked up in confusion at the boy.

"What?"

"You... said that you could make pancakes for breakfast. Is that, um, is that still an option?" A huge grin spread across David's face.

"Yeah, of course." He stood up and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out a large mixing bowl. He grabbed a whisk from a nearby drawer. He thought about the ingredients he'd need. "I don't think I have any eggs. Do you have any problems with me using applesauce as a binding agent instead?"

Max eyed him, confused. "No…?" David hummed in affirmation and collected all the dry ingredients from the pantry. He grabbed out some measuring cups and began recalling all the measurements he needed. "Is there, like, anything I can do to help?"

David smiled at the inquiry. "Can you get the butter out from the fridge? We need to melt three… no, four tablespoons. And the milk. Should be thawed by now."

"Alright." David heard the fridge open as Max retrieved the ingredient. "Where's a knife?" David gave a concerned look. "So I can cut the butter, you dumbass. What would I gain from stabbing you? I'm a dick, not a psychopath." David nodded, feeling silly for being concerned. He reached into a nearby drawer and grabbed a butter knife. He then grabbed a small bowl from a nearby cupboard and handed both utensils to Max.

"We're gonna need half a stick, I think. Could you please cut the butter into small pieces and microwave it in thirty second intervals until its melted?" David started measuring out the dry ingredients and pouring them into the bowl.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Though Max was dismissive as always, he pulled up a chair to reach the counter next to David. He clearly took this job very seriously, precisely measuring each tablespoon in David's periphery and carefully chopping them. Eventually, David heard several beeps as Max started the microwave.

"Thank you, Max." Max gave a small grunt as David mixed the dry ingredients together.

"Why do you care so much about us?" Max asked out of the blue. "Aren't most adults supposed to hate kids and shit? While also being pressured to have kids?"

David chuckled a bit. "Well I don't know about most adults, but I love kids—don't start." Max held back laughter rather unconvincingly. "I care about my campers because I want to help them. Even the most jaded kids are more innocent than most of the adults I've met. And if I can do anything to preserve that innocence or make them just a little less cynical… then I want to do that for them." The microwave beeped. Max pulled out the bowl and looked inside.

"Not melted yet." He put the bowl back in the microwave. "You were saying?"

David gulped but continued. "Kids are so impressionable, and it seems like the world leaves the wrong impression on them, no matter how hard the adults in their life try to fix that. I just hope… I don't know, maybe I could do something to help. But it's probably too late by the time I can do anything." There was a moment a silence between the two of them. "Max, I'm sorry I couldn't help you this summer." The microwave went off again. After Max's inspection, the bowl went in for another thirty seconds.

"It's not your fault or anything. I was already cynical when I arrived."

"I wish I could've stopped that or changed it." The two remained silent as David added the wet ingredients to his dry mixture. The microwave went off again.

Max retrieved the bowl, careful not to burn himself on the molten butter inside. "Looks good." Max handed the bowl to David, who muttered his thanks and poured it in, whisking the batter together. "But why do you like kids? Like, why are you so fucking enthusiastic about little pieces of shit like Nikki, or smartasses like Neil, or pain-in-the-ass types like me? Why kids?"

David shrugged and gave a small smile. "I'm a family man. I want that… that stereotypical American Dream family. A spouse, a kid or two… I want to pass on my wisdom, if you can call it that. Help a kid grow up and become a functioning adult in society. Do everything for them I can…" He shook his head, still smiling. "I don't suppose you'll ever understand. And that's fine. All I want to do is support you."

Max thought about David's explanation for a few seconds, until one detail caught his attention. "Wait, you said _spouse_."

David looked at Max quizzically. "Uh, yeah?"

"Not _wife_ , spouse. Now why would you say that unless…" Max's eyes widened in realization. "Holy fucking shit, David is gay!" Max burst out into laughter.

"I beg your pardon?" David felt his ears begin to get warm as blood rushed to his cheeks.

"Oh my god, Camp Man is camp gay!" Max was laughing so hard tears were forming at the corners of his eyes.

"My sexuality is none of your business! But I do feel the need to remind you that I had my heartbroken earlier this summer by Bonquisha. Remember? You concocted that hair-brained scheme to get us back together?"

Max stopped laughing abruptly. "Oh right. Forgot about that. Huh. Guess you're not gay."

"No, I'm not. Now can we please just focus—"

"So you're bi."

"No!"

"Well you've got to be queer, some way or another."

"Max! Some people find that term offensive!” He looked down in his mixing bowl and was instantly relieved. “The batter's done! Thank goodness! Now we just need to preheat a skillet!" He grabbed out some nonstick cooking spray and without thinking reached to a cabinet above his stove and grabbed out three nested pans: the top one pink, the middle yellow, and the largest on the bottom a bright blue. "Oh no."

A huge grin broke out across Max's face. "You're pan! Oh my god that's fucking hilarious!"

"How do you even know what that is?" David felt stupid for not remembering the dead giveaway in his kitchen utensils. Most people didn't recognize the colors, but Max was much smarter than most of the people who entered his home. Ashamed, he sprayed the blue pan and turned the stove on medium heat.

"If it makes you feel any better, that's the best stealth pun I've ever seen."

David stopped for a second. "Really?"

"It's still an absolutely shitty stealth pun, but it's the best one I've ever seen."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Now hurry up and make the pancakes, I'm fucking starving." David smiled and started pouring batter into the skillet. The smell from the batter permeated the house and had both child and adult drooling. Over the next few minutes, David cooked all the batter into pancakes, growing more confident as he made more of them, flipping them doing tricks, and even making the last few he did in various shapes, until they had a tall stack of warm pancakes for breakfast. He got out some plates and utensils, as well as butter and syrup, and was a little surprised when Max chose to sit next to him instead of across from him.

Max grabbed the first pancake off of the stack, the warmest one, smeared it with butter and flooded it with syrup, and then cautiously eyed it. His stomach rumbled and he threw caution into the wind, taking a huge bite from the pancake.

"You know, I gotta say David," he said between bites, "these pancakes are... not completely shitty."

David smiled. "Coming from you, that's high praise!" He grabbed a pancake himself and started to dig in.

"Well anything tastes good when you've had the Quartermaster's cooking all summer."

"No arguments here." The two ate, quiet except for the sounds of satisfaction of finally getting a real meal. About halfway through his third pancake, Max stopped and looked down, away from David.

"Um, David… last night…" David flinched slightly at the mention of yesterday's events. "I know I was asleep for a while… but I thought… I feel like I said something before you left me in bed."

_David shut the front door behind him, leaving the lights in the house off. He didn't answer Max's question: the answer was obvious. He gently carried the boy to his room, pretending not to notice the drowsy look of surprise as he set Max down on his bed and tucked him in. He handed Max the teddy bear he had been carrying._

_"I'll make this work, kiddo. I promise." Max seemed to have almost drifted off again by the time he said this. Quietly, he walked out of the room, afraid to close the door for fear of waking him. He didn't get far before he heard Max's voice._

_"G'night, dad." The phrase made him stop in his tracks. David wondered if Max had meant to say that. Maybe he was just sleep deprived. But regardless, he wasn't going to overthink it._

_"Goodnight, Max." Certain Max would fall asleep, David walked into his kitchen and started preparing things for tomorrow morning._

David knew what Max was talking about. But he also knew Max was hesitant to show any kind of emotion that wasn't coupled with complete disdain. And David definitely didn't want to embarrass him by telling him what he said if he had forgotten. "You didn't say a word. You were all tuckered out before we even left the bus station. You even slept as I carried you in here."

"You're a fucking terrible liar, Davey."

David did his best to look innocent. "I assure you, I didn't hear anything."

Max eyed him suspiciously, clearly not convinced. "Well, thanks I guess."

David raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"I don't fucking know. Trying to preserve my dignity. Putting up with me for the night. Offering me a place to stay. Being there for me when I needed you. Fuck, for everything, I guess."

David smiled softly at the boy. "There's no need to thank me for all that. It's really no problem." He turned back to his food, taking a few bites before suddenly being embraced. He turned and saw Max hugging him tightly. He leaned over and returned the hug with a smile. "I know, I know, don't tell anyone."

Max quickly let go and sat back down. "Not like there's anyone to tell anymore."

David grinned enthusiastically. "Actually, I've called Neil and Nikki's parents, and they're both in town for a few days. I asked if they would want to hang out with you for just a few more days and they seemed to reply in the affirmative. I mean, if you don't want to hang out with them –"

"Seriously? No, I'm in."

“Great!” David paused. “You aren’t going to tell them about how I’m… you know…” David gestured to the pans he left on the counter.

“No I’m definitely telling them. And probably setting you up a Grindr account.”

“How do you know what Grindr is?”

"But can I shower before I meet with them? I haven't had a good shower in, like, three months."

David nodded. "Down the hall and to the right." Max got up and started walking away from the table. He had just reached the hall when David remembered something. "Wait, I need to grab your clothes first!" He stood up and turned around, only to find Max was holding his keyring.

"Way ahead of you." David chuckled, admiring the same incorrigible personality he'd seen from Max all summer as the boy walked out the front door to retrieve his belongings from the car.


	2. Afternoon

David watched from afar as Max, Neil, and Nikki walked through the streets of downtown. As soon as the three saw each other, they had started talking and scheming just like they had at camp. Ruthless, energetic Nikki and hesitant, intelligent Neil were perfectly balanced out with cunning, devious Max as their leader. So far Neil had gotten yet another job at a local technology store, Nikki had dragged the boys into a camping supply store (and shortly thereafter gotten all three kicked out), and Max had attempted to enter any place that had age restrictions out of spite.

David knew watching these three was a tough burden to bear, he had done it all summer. And technically he had help, as Neil's father and Nikki's mother were following shortly behind David, but they seemed more focused on each other than on their children. But he was willing to watch over them for one more day. It was just the three of them, so he didn't have to deal with a Nurf outburst, or Harrison and Nerris fighting, or whatever antics Space Kid had gotten himself into. And after all, how much trouble could the trio get into?

"Ow!" Lost in his thoughts, David was brought back to reality by Neil's loud cry. "What the hell was that for man?"

"He was just stating a fact," Nikki chimed in. David started moving closer to intervene.

Max leaned in, getting in both of his friend's faces. "Shut. The fuck. Up."

David rushed over. "Ok, campe—kiddos, what seems to be the problem?" He looked from Nikki and Neil to Max, hoping to find some kind of simple answer in their expressions. David saw some unidentifiable emotion in Max's eyes before the boy groaned, rolled his eyes, and sprinted away from David. David sighed. He turned around to the two parents. "Can you two follow Max and make sure he doesn't get into trouble while I try to resolve the conflict?" Neil's father looked up, confused, then nodded absentmindedly, walking in Max's general direction while Nikki's mother followed him.

"Come here, Matt."

"Actually, it's Max, Mrs.—"

"Yeah, whatever." David stared after the parents, feeling doubtful they'd be able to catch up to Max. He decided to turn back to the situation at hand.

"So what happened?"

Nikki shrugged. "We were just talking and Max just suddenly slapped Neil."

"Hard. Like, _really_ _hard_. I think I'm gonna see the indent tomorrow morning!" David could see Neil's cheek turning red. He winced sympathetically.

"Does it hurt?"

"What do you think?" David found that some of the tension was broken by Neil's sarcastic response.

"Are you gonna be ok?"

"I mean, I'll live, but it just came outta nowhere!"

David frowned. While Max was known to attack others unprovoked, it was usually for annoying him (case in point, the thousands of times he'd tried to hurt David over the summer), and he never attacked Nikki or Neil like this.

"What were you talking about?"

Neil shrugged. "We were talking about our parents. Max said his didn't show up, and I told him that was real shitty of them and he just slapped me. I don't get why he's angry with me!"

David looked up, sighing in realization. "Neil, your one of Max's best friends. You know that he can be a real…"

"Dick?" Nikki offered

"Douche?" Neil asked

"Pussy?"

"…challenge to talk to. Also we never agreed on that mascot name, Nikki." David sighed, unsure how to continue. "He doesn't really talk about his feelings… he'd rather prefer to not have them most of the time. "him mentioning his parents was just his way of contributing to the parent discussion, not an invitation to judge them or their actions."

Nikki tilted her head. "But that was a shitty thing to do. Max himself thinks so!"

"Max… probably doesn't know what to think. The main thing he knows is that he feels bad and he wants it to stop. And I think you guys have helped make that stop for a little bit today. I don't think Max meant to hurt him. And I think you guys can still help him."

"How?" Neil asked.

"Tread lightly. Don't talk about the parent thing. Just… be respectful. Can you do that?" The two children looked at each other before nodding. "Good. Let's go catch up with him." The three raced along the sidewalk until they came upon Max, the other two parents trying to keep him in line. Max begrudgingly walked back towards David, and Nikki and Neil were dragged ahead by their parents.

"Where's the speech?" Max asked.

"What speech?"

"You know. The speech. The one you've been planning for the last five minutes. The speech about how I reacted harshly, because Neil didn't mean anything by what he said, and he didn't know, and I was a dick and shouldn't have slapped him, and how I shouldn't treat my friends that way and I should just talk to them or whatever bullshit friends are supposed to do because otherwise I'll drive away my friends. That speech. Where is it?"

David chuckled. "That does sound like a speech I'd make, minus the language of course. But there's no speech. I'm not your counselor anymore. Your actions are your own."

Max stared at David in disbelief. "Really?"

"Really. Isn't that interesting?" Max stared at David, as if unable to believe what he had just said. David looked at Max and the two children just in front of them. "Are you kids hungry for lunch? There's a great pizza place nearby!" David led the children to the pizzeria while the two parents diverged to… a bar, David thought? They weren't very clear in where they were going as they left. The four were quickly seated and ordered drinks, giving considerable thought both to what pizza they would order as well as to their plans for the rest of the day.

"I hear there are some fairy houses on the street over! Maybe we can set a trap, catch some pet fairies!" Nikki said, excited.

"Don't tell me you believe in fairies," Neil replied in that familiar condescending voice. "And besides, I wanted to head down to the river to test the water for pollution."

"Now, kids, we'll have time to do both!" David replied, ever the optimist.

"I'm sorry I slapped the shit out of you earlier," Max said, unprompted. Neil nodded in response.

"It's ok. I really shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry." David smiled at the scene in front of him.

"So…we cool?"

"Yeah. We're cool."

"That's kinda gay," Nikki said.

"Did somebody say 'gay'?" an unfamiliar voice chimed in. David turned around in his chair and found himself looking at a strapping man with a smile on his face. "You're David, right?"

David's eyes darted around trying to figure out what was going on. "…yes?"

"I'm Theodore." The man put out his hand and David hesitantly shook it.

"It's…nice to meet you?"

The man could tell something wasn't right. "You told me to meet you here?"

"What?"

"On Grindr?"

David quickly whipped around to look at the kids, who were dying of laughter by this point. "Max!" The boy in the blue hoodie just tossed back the phone that he had apparently stolen, laughing too hard to reply. David looked and saw Max had installed the app and set up a profile for him. David turned back to the man with an apologetic look. "I'm terribly sorry, there's been a huge misunderstanding. I believe these three thought it would be funny to steal my phone and mess around on it."

The man nodded, understanding. "Kids will be kids."

David shook his head. "I didn't realize they would do this again though."

The man raised an eyebrow. "They've done this before?" David nodded sheepishly, causing the man to laugh. "And just who are these little troublemakers?"

"My campers. Well, former campers. Yesterday was the last day."

"Oh, are you from that one camp—"

"Probably not." Max interrupted. "If it's reputable in any way, shape, or form, you're thinking of a different camp."

"Right. Well, I'm sorry for the mix-up, David."

"The fault is mine, Theodore."

"Well, if you ever are interested in going out," the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, "call me." David blushed profusely and nodded along absentmindedly

"O…o-okay…" The man waved goodbye to the children with a smile and winked at David, who could only muster a small wave goodbye with a sheepish smile in response. The second he was out of sight, David turned around and lay his head on the table while the children laughed at every aspect of the encounter. David stayed this way until the pizza arrived, secretly glad that the children were talking, scheming, and getting into trouble as if they were still at Camp Campbell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~so I definitely accidentally decided describing the town near my old summer camp which was unintentional but I guess I've made that decision.~~ Thank you all so much for the positive feedback on the first chapter of this! So I've decided to make this short fic a multi chaptered one, but I decided to keep this chapter (relatively) short. Third and final chapter is coming soon, and then I'll start work on the sequel/next fic in this series. I feel like I have more to say, but for now I'll just end it saying you can check out my tumblr (official-didney-worl-elmo) and talk to me about camp camp and this fic and other stuff. Once again, thank you so much for your response to the first chapter, It's meant a lot to me!


	3. Night

David had enjoyed watching the kids all day. He had allowed himself to get involved in their hijinks, testing the river water's chemical composition (Neil hadn't told them the results), searching for and possibly discovering fairies (jury was still out on whether what they had found were actual fairies), and far more in the span of a few hours. The children hung out until the sun sank far in the sky, and the other two parents had decided it was time to go. David politely smiled as he bid the two parents farewell. He couldn't bear to look at the children as they said their goodbyes and looked at each other for what might be the last time for a year. David had pretended not to notice Max's eyes water. Max only made one comment on the fact that David was openly weeping. Neither spoke on the drive back to David's house.

He had tried to contact Max's family a few times throughout the day, but never got an answer. Not that he tried very hard, but he never got a response. He wasn't too disappointed to have Max stay over for another night. Not that he would tell Max that. Sometimes, He had to restrain himself to make progress with Max.

Regardless of how anybody in the situation felt about it, twenty-four hours after the last parents had come to pick up their children, Max and David were sitting on David's couch, watching some horror movie that Max had found on TV. David was trying to make it less apparent that he was terrified, and Max was not at all trying to hold back laughter at this fact. David turned his head and closed his eyes as another character got murdered in a rather gruesome fashion.

"Oh my god, you're such a fucking baby," Max said through his snickering. David gave him a stern look and was formulating a comeback when his phone rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out to find that Gwen was calling him. "Weren't you going to say something, dumbass?"

David looked up, unsure how to reply. "I have to take this." He stood up, making his way towards the hall. "Be back in a jiff." He walked down the hall and into his room before answering the phone. "Hey Gwen! What's going on?"

"Hey David. Sorry I couldn't call sooner, I've been so busy today, job search and all. Um, how'd everything go with… you know…"

David did know. "Pretty good, I guess. He stayed the night with me. I couldn't get in touch with his parents."

"Me neither. It's like they ghosted."

"Max doesn't seem too surprised, he says they've done things like that before. I talked with him this morning and we decided until we can get in touch with them he should stay with me."

There was a pause on the other end. David's heart stopped. He wasn't sure what Gwen would think. After a few seconds she hesitantly spoke. "David, are you sure that's a good idea?"

David sighed. "I don't know. I have no idea what I'm doing here. He's just a kid, he shouldn't have to be dealing with this."

"I agree—"

"And I mean, of course we should get him back to his parents, but they're not answering. I don't know, is it really the best thing for him to stay with me?"

"I was just about to say—"

"Maybe should I ask Neil's father? Or even Nikki's mother? I have no clue what I'm doing Gwen. How do I help him? I'm just so scared I'm gonna mess up and hurt him somehow."

"I'm more concerned with it the other way around."

David furrowed his brow, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that Max has hated you all summer long. He's literally tried to murder you!"

"It was just a joke Gwen."

"No it wasn't. David how long have we known each other?"

"I dunno, a while I guess? What does it matter?"

"I've never seen you break, David. You're always this fucking annoying level of happy that no human should be able to maintain for more than a few hours at most. And Max broke you. Not even halfway through camp. He fucking broke you."

"So?"

" _So_ if he wasn't a child that would be called emotional manipulation by literally everyone."

"Don't you think that's a tad overdramatic?"

"David, he's spent the entire summer pretty much abusing you."

"He's not 'abusing' me, Gwen—"

"I just don't think he's gonna be good for your mental health. Can't you just… make other arrangements?"

David took a deep breath. He loved Gwen, just like he loved the campers, but he couldn't help but feel that she was crossing a line. "Gwen. My feelings, my health… it doesn't matter."

"That's bullshit."

"The only thing I care about right now is looking after him. Doing what's best for him."

"David, your feelings matter too. Look I can even take him for a few days! I can at least get along with the little shit sometimes."

"Gwen, we both know how busy you are. And I presented that to him as an option. And he… he made a decision."

"Sure, let the ten-year-old decide, I'm sure that will work out great for everyone! That probably won't have any far-reaching consequences—"

"I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing Gwen!" David quickly looked towards the door, hoping the response hadn't been as loud as it had sounded when he said it. He heard no change from outside. He turned back around and lowered his voice. "None whatsoever. All I know is that this kid who I really care about has nowhere to go. This ridiculously intelligent ten-year-old has parents who don't see how incredible he is. Who forgot the one day they should've remembered. And this kid, for whatever reason, has decided he's better off staying with me for the time being. I may not know what I'm doing, but I'll be damned if I kick this kid out of my home because I'm worried about how _my_ mental health will suffer from this." He sighed again. "This kid needs support. And I'm the only one he's got right now really. God help us both."

"...Are you sure?"

"Of course not. When have I ever been?"

"Call me if things get rough. I'm here for you. Both of you. And my offer still stands. He can stay with me if things aren't working."

"I'll let him know."

"I'm just worried for you, David."

"I know. Don't be."

"Take care."

"You too."

David hung up and was overcome by a feeling of exhaustion. Normally he valued Gwen's input above all others, but everything she had said in this short phone call had just stood out to him as being completely and utterly wrong. And something about it set him off. The only thing that mattered was helping Max. Who cared if he got hurt in the process? He took a deep breath to collect himself before he returned to Max. He calmly put his phone in his pocket and walked into the hall, only to run into the boy in the blue hoodie staring up at him, expressionless and unblinking.

"Oh, hey Max! You startled me there." Max didn't respond. "Um, something you needed, kid?"

"Restroom." David couldn't tell if Max was trying to indicate something more. Perhaps he had forgotten where it was?

"That door right there," David pointed at the door, "right where you left it this morning." Neither spoke for a few seconds. David mumbled something that even he couldn't understand, then moved to return to the living room.

"What were you and Gwen talking about?"

David's pace slowed slightly. "Oh… nothing. Nothing important. Just…her job search and stuff."

As he rounded the corner, he heard a mumble from down the hall. He pretended he hadn't heard it. He was getting good at pretending to not hear things.

* * *

 

"You're such a fuckin' liar, Davey."

David's eyes snapped open. He was lying down on the couch, covered in a blanket. He could hear the witty banter coming from the soft glow of the TV from behind Max's silhouette. It must have been late. Really, really late. He remembered leading Max to bed and putting on some comedy show to distract his mind from the grisly horror movie. He probably drifted off watching the show some time ago. So why had Max woken him now? He eyed the boy, confused. He was about to speak when Max cut him off again.

"I said you're a fucking liar." This did nothing to clear anything up. David sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"What're ya talkin' about?"

"I know you and Gwen were talking about me when she called you."

David was beginning to understand what was going on. "Well… yeah. I called her last night. I… I didn't know what to do. She asked about what was happening and we discussed you briefly."

"Sounded like more than a 'brief discussion' to me."

David yawned a little, still tired. "I'm sorry. It didn't seem worth mentioning. I didn't mean to lie."

"You think that's the lie I'm worried about?" Max laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh. "That's just the beginning. When the fuck were you gonna tell me you didn't actually have a spare room?"

"I do have a spare room!" David protested.

"Then why are you sleeping on the couch?"

"I fell asleep watching TV!" David gestured towards the show still going on behind Max. The child was unconvinced. "…I don't have a mattress in the spare room." Max scoffed. "A friend borrowed the air mattress I kept in there while I was at Camp Campbell. He said I would have it back soon. Look, I'm sorry if I mislead you about my living situation. I'm twenty-four. It's a miracle I can afford this place to begin with. But I never actually told you I had a spare room. I didn't lie to you." David sighed. "I wanted to make you comfortable. And honestly, I don't mind the couch! It's a good couch. Max just go back to sleep, we can talk about—"

"Last night. What about last night?"

David paused. "What _about_ last night?"

"You said last night I fell asleep."

David felt his stomach lurch. "You did."

"You said I never woke up. But I did. And I said they never came. You tucked me in and said you would make things work, and I said—"

"I know what you said, Max." David couldn't bear to hear the phrase out loud again. He didn't know why. Something about the sincerity of the previous night made him unwilling to hear it again. He knew it would never be that meaningful again, and especially not now as he was being confronted.

"So why did you lie this morning and say I said _nothing_?" David could see Max was clenching his fists. His tone got angrier, and the last word dripped with venom. The boy seemed almost on the verge of tears. David hated that he could be the cause of that. And he had been determined to never be the cause of it again.

"Cognitive consistency."

Max relaxed for a second, confused. "The fuck are you talking about?"

"Language, Max—ugh, sorry, old habits, not your counselor anymore…" David yawned again, trying to work out how to describe it. "Max, who we are is not just determined by our appearance or our personality. It's determined by how we see things, how we see ourselves. All of these little things add up to form how we see the entire world, and that idea that we have of everything defines us as much as the things we like and dislike."

Max squinted and opened his mouth slightly, unsure how to respond. "…What?"

"So we have this worldview, and we strive for consistency in it. Anything that counters it creates cognitive dissonance. You with me?"

"Not in the slightest."

"When something happens in the world that contradicts this idea of how things work, when someone says or does something, when _we_ say or do or learn something that challenges our world view, our brains react in strange and unpredictable ways. It may fight back against the idea, or let it pass as some kind of exception to our world view, or simply ignore the idea. It's doing this to protect our cognitive consistency."

"I asked why you lied to me, idiot. Not for a lecture on brains."

David nodded, holding up a finger to indicate he was getting to his point. "I like to think I know you pretty well by now. Our worldviews are pretty much opposing, optimistic and pessimistic. To use the common example, you would see a glass half empty where I would see one half full. So interaction between us is bound to lead to cognitive dissonance eventually. I have different ways of dealing with it, but your brain has come up with the remarkably simple strategy of pretending it never happened. It does as best as it can to forget what happened. And sometimes it's better for everyone if I just… go along. So you didn't fix the staff, on parents day you said and did nothing outside the pizza parlor, and last night you fell asleep and said nothing. Because anything else would run counter to your worldview, and who knows how you'd react to that?"

"The fuck does that mean?"

"You hate me. That's what's cognitively consistent to you. If you hadn't remembered and I told you what you said…what would've happened?" David looked down, unable to meet Max's gaze. The only sound came from the characters on screen, their jovial blunders seeming out-of-place in the tense atmosphere of the room.

"Take me to Gwen's place."

"Wh-what?"

"You said she has a pull-out couch."

David looked up, bewildered. "Max, it's the middle of the night. We're not waking her up."

"Well I'm not staying in this shithole another second with somebody who thinks I'm going to go ballistic."

"That's not what I meant—"

"Whatever! I'm not staying here." David sighed. He stood up and walked over to the boy, reaching down and picking him up. "Hey! What the fuck are you doing? Put me down!" David ignored the cries and the thrashing as he carried Max back to his room, until the thrashing stopped. He laid Max down in the bed and tucked him in, mirroring the events of the previous night. "Why the fuck are you doing this?"

"I told you. I care about you."

"Gwen's right. I'm just going to hurt you."

"Maybe you will. I don't know. I doubt it. But that's not for you to worry about. It doesn't matter to me. All that matters is you're ok."

"…You're an idiot, David."

David offered a small smile. "Maybe so. But this idiot is gonna do the best he can to help you. Even if that means taking you to Gwen first thing in the morning. But for now just try to sleep." David walked towards the door.

"David?"

He turned around to look at Max. "Yeah?"

"Will you make breakfast tomorrow morning?"

David nodded. "Whatever you want."

Max pondered this for a second. "Ok, so I have an idea. I know we have leftovers from this morning, but if you have food coloring, what if we made pancakes colored with the colors of the pan flag?"

David chuckled. "That sounds _pan_ tastic."

"Oh my god you are the literal worst get the fuck out."

David turned around and left the room. "Night kiddo."

"David?" David stopped just outside of the threshold. "I don't hate you."

David didn't know how to respond. He knew that simple phrase meant a lot more than he would ever let on. But pointing that out would risk backtracking yet again. "Sweet dreams, Max." He walked back down the hall, lying back down on the couch and tuning out another episode of some show to fall asleep, confident that tomorrow would be a better day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so tired and this is probably crap that I'm going to be hardcore editing tomorrow, but here's the final chapter of this fic. Hopefully I can start on the follow up fic soon if time allows. idk what else to say. yell at me on tumblr, official-didney-worl-elmo. Thank you so much for the kudos and the comments, it really means the world to me. ok thats all i have for now bye

**Author's Note:**

> Boy, that season finale, huh? So firstly, I have to confess that this idea isn't 100% original and that the flashback sections are heavily based on [this comic](https://iguano-don.tumblr.com/post/164660228095/this-was-a-pain-in-the-ass-to-upload) by iguano-don on tumblr (you should check him out), but I started thinking about what happened and I kinda got carried away ~~(like honestly was anybody in character here?)~~. I'm debating whether or not I want to make this a series, with full Dadvid adopting Max, but if you guys are interested I could be persuaded to do it. Maybe. We'll see. But for now, this is what I've got. E: I've decided to make this a series bc I can't resist. I have general ideas for the next story, and I was debating adding a few short chapters to this one just to detail the rest of the day but it all depends on what I get motivated to do. If you wanna talk to me about this fic or Camp Camp or a variety of things, [come message me on tumblr](https://official-didney-worl-elmo.tumblr.com) (I swear I don't bite).  
>  That's all for now, I guess. Campe Diem!


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